Miner&#39;s safety cap



Fens, .1925. 1,525,030

' E. N. @ALANIS MINERSv SAFETY CAP Filed Feb. 27, 1922 fff fwd/211g! /Y Gal/anja."

Patented Feb. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES EMANUEL N. GALANIS, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y. n.

MINERS SAFETY CAP.

Application led February 27, 1922. Serial No.'539,420.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EMANUEL N. GA- LANIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Miners Safety Caps; and I do declare the followlng to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specifica-tion.

This invention relates to caps and has special reference to caps for use by miners.

It is well known that the miner who works underground is exposed toseveral dangers which are peculiar to that class of work, among i-.hich is that of falling rocks which may strike his head as they drop from the ceiling to the floor, and that of the electrical conductors which are strung throughout the mine and are oten so low that the miner will strike them with his head and receive severe electrical shocks which may even result in his death.

It is the object of this invention to provide a cap for use by underground workers, which shall be provided with means that lwill serve to protect the wearer from injury due to falling rock of moderate size, and from electric shock due to accidental' contact with the insulated electrical conductors.

It is also a further object of this invention to produce a cap that is provided with means whereby it may be adjusted to fit the head of the wearer, so that it will not be necessary to manufacture more than one size.

In order to more clearly describe my invention, I shall have reference to the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of my improved safety cap;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view showing the cap in place on the wearers head, and the face protectors in inoperative position;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to'Fig. 3, showing t-he face protectors in operative position;

Fig. 5 is a rear view of my cap showing it in place on the wearers head;

Fig. 6 is a section showing a modified form of construction; and

Fig. 7 shows a section of another modified form of construction.

The same reference numerals will be used to indicate the same parts throughout the l several views.

My improved cap consists of a crown piece which is made up of an outer layer 1 of hard material such as fiber, leather or any other similar material which will resist shocks and blows due to the impact of a hard body. On the inside of layer 1 is a second layer of elastic cushioning material 2 such as felt, and inside of this is a third layer 3 of waterproof electrical insulating material. Secured to the inner surface of the crown piece are spaced vertical stays 4, which may be madeof rubber, fiber, leather or any similar material, which serve to space the inside of the cap from the wearers head, whereby air is permitted to pass into the cap and out through the ventilator openings 5 of which several are provided along the upper edge of the sides ot' the cap and in the top thereof. It' it is desired to add to the rigidity of the top 6 of the cap, strips 7 of liber may be secured to the inside thereof. My cap is provided with the usual vizor 8 and metal lamp support 9 in the upper end of which I provide two holes 10. To the back of the cap I provide a triangular portion 11 of flexible electrically non-conducting material whose function it is to project downwardly over the neck so as to protect it from con-k tact with electrical conductors. In order to provide protection for the face and ears, I provide on each side of the cap a flap 12 which may be brought around the sides and front of the face in the manner shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, or secured in the inoperative position shown in Figs. 3 and 5. Snap fasteners 13 are provided in the ends of members 12 in the manner shown. If it is desired to provide ventilation for the face, the members 12 may be provided with a plurality of parallel slots 14. v

When the miner enters the mine and passes through parts thereof where there are a number of electrical conductors, he secures the members 12 about his face in the manner shown in Fig. 4; his head will then be effectively guarded against injury due to electrical shock, and also from falling coal or rock. The triangular member 11 extending over the neck protects the latter.-

In Fig. 6 I have shown a modification in which I provide two members l5 of hard material such as liber or leather, betvveen which l place-resilient means such as springs 1G. N ext to the innermost member 15 I provide a layer'V of elastic material 17 and this is covered on the inside with an insulating aterproo'f fabric 18. It is evident that a cap constructed in accordance with Fig.. 6 will ati'ord a r1-eat amount of protection against injury due to falling rocks, and will also be an ell'ective electrical insulator. Where a simple and cheap construct-ion is desired` l may make the body of the cap oit' a layer 'ol" hard librous material 19 (Fig. 7) and line the inside thereof' with an insulating Afabric liningl). I may also make my cap in thc manner shown in which automobile tires are formed, that is, by building up the body lhereo'l' from rubberized fabric, which can subsequently be cured in a vulcanizer. .Such a construction will be electrically iuin-coluluctive and can be made of sullicient thickness and rigidity to render it ot' great protective value against injury from falling rocks.

I am aware that the objects of my invention can be attained by structures specifically diflerent Vfrom those described by me, but I consider that. I am the inventor of the broad idea of a cap that combines protection against electrical; injury as welltas against blows.- y

Having now described my invention, what l claim isL Y l. A miners safety cap composed of an outer layer ot' hard material, an intermediate layer ot' yielding material, an inner layer otnon-absorptive electrica-l insulating material, and electrical insulatii'ig means connected to the rear ot' the cap and extending downwardly over the wearer-is* neck to protect the same against injury from contact with live electrical conductors.

:2. A mincfssatcty cap composed of an outer layer of hard material, an intermediate layer of yielding material,"an inner layer ol' non-alisorptive electrical insulating material, electrical insulating means connected to the rear ot' thc cap and extending downwardly Vover the njearers neck to protect the same against injury l'rom. contact with live electrical conductors, and electrical insulatingmeans adapted when in operative position to protect the wearers Jface from injury due to contact with electrical conductors.

In testimony whereof I atliX my signature.

EMANUEL N. GALANIS.n 

